It means he has now scored ten goals this season – as many as the entire Swansea team which is now condemned to spending Christmas in the bottom three.

Rooney got a standing ovation when he was substituted with a minute to go having helped his boyhood club continue to climb the league with six goals in his last five matches.

Defeat must feel even worse for gloomy City boss Paul Clement as his team took the lead and was the victim of poor refereeing on a thoroughly miserable night when he also lost striker Wilfried Bony to injury after just four minutes.

He also looked on as former Swansea star Gylfi Sigurdsson struck with a spectacular 25 yard goal as his side crumbled on Merseyside.

It means he has now scored ten goals this season – as many as the entire Swansea team which is now condemned to spending Christmas in the bottom three.

Rooney got a standing ovation when he was substituted with a minute to go having helped his boyhood club continue to climb the league with six goals in his last five matches.

Defeat must feel even worse for gloomy City boss Paul Clement as his team took the lead and was the victim of poor refereeing on a thoroughly miserable night when he also lost striker Wilfried Bony to injury after just four minutes.

He also looked on as former Swansea star Gylfi Sigurdsson struck with a spectacular 25 yard goal as his side crumbled on Merseyside.

Gylfi Sigurdsson curls in a beautiful goal from distance goal for Everton against Swansea

Leroy Fer gave Swansea the lead when he tapped home unmarked from a corner

It left the midfielder free to give him the slip round the back and pop up unmarked to ram home the ball when it fell to him in a perfect position six yards out to claim his first Premier League goal of the season with a half volley off his left foot.

It would be unfair to say it was against the run of play because hardly anybody had been running up to then in a dreary encounter played in virtual silence at Goodison Park.

Clement’s resigned sigh when the lead evaporated after ten minutes must have carried through the night air.

A careless rather than malicious challenge by Spaniard Roque Mesa on Aaron Lennon just inside the box gave ref Jon Moss a decision to make. And he pointed to the spot.

BLUE DAY

ONE OF OUR LOAN

Luck of the draw

Europa League draw: Live stream, TV channel and info for round of 16

Pictured

united again

Rio joins Utd training... is he passing on advice about scoring vs Liverpool?

The stage was set for Everton to take the game by the scruff of the neck and they did in style on 64 minutes when Sigurdsson, sold by Swansea for £45 million in the summer, cut in from the left before unleashing a ferocious past the dive of Fabianski.

That money would have been most welcome back then but relegation will cost them a lot more in the long run.

Goals Of The Round: Watch the best strikes from the Premier League weekend

INTERACTIVE STATS – CLICK on a player’s number below to see their stats

And it got even worse for Swansea when Martin Olsson clipped the heels of Jonjoe Kenny as he raced into the area. Replays showed contact was made outside the white line and it should have been a free kick.

Moss’ mistake was a gift for Rooney who made no mistake second time around and he thumped a shot past the keeper to seal the win and seal Swansea’s fate.